From way back when we used to socialise, patrons of Dawson Street's Sam's bar and the Dawson Hotel – with its industrial art deco fittings and Frank Lloyd Wright pendant lights – may have an interest in the Niall Mullen and Victor Mee decorative interiors live and online sale, which will take place in Kells, Co Meath, next Tuesday and Wednesday.
The sale also includes pieces from Beaufield Mews and Silks casino – the former gaming emporium on Earlsfort Terrace in Dublin – and will include bespoke lighting, gaming tables, decorative interior pieces and garden and occasional furniture.
Items can be viewed in advance at Eureka House on Navan Road, Kells, Co Meath, until Monday from 10am until 6pm daily by appointment only and subject to Government guidelines.
Featured among the 1,500 lots are a pair of oversized hot-air balloon light fittings from the Dawson Hotel that many will remember hanging in the foyer of the since-shuttered establishment (€800-€1,200).
Also in the lighting section are a pair of glass and brass bag chandeliers (€200-€400), an impressive 18-branch chandelier (€800-€1,200), a pair of contemporary wrought-iron wall lights (€40-€60) and a pair of rustic tapering lanterns from the outdoor seating area of Sam’s Bar (€200-€400). In addition, there is a huge selection of occasional colourful lamps to suit all tastes and budgets.
There are glazed planters and urns (including foliage) from €200-€400, pairs of commercial-grade restaurant tables (also €200-€400) along with a good selection of sofas starting at €100-€150.
More seating includes occasional leather and suede armchairs, two lovely navy leather fireside armchairs (€600-€800) and quite a number of high-quality leather bar stools that would be a perfect addition to a kitchen counter.
For anyone in the market for a large mirror, the sale lists a 10-foot-long gilt mirror in rococo style with a matching console table at €800-€1,200 each, in addition to lots more looking glasses from bedrooms at the Dawson Hotel.
Those who enjoy entertaining outdoors may have an interest in some of the fold-up banqueting tables – extending to 2.45m (€60-€80 each) – an array of speakers and sound equipment along with pine church pews (€60-€80) and lots of garden furniture, right down to the outdoor ashtrays from Sam’s bar.
From the since-closed Silks casino are a selection of high-end gaming tables by Abbiati. Costing in the region of €25,000 new, the blackjack tables are now listed at €5,000-€7,000.
The contents of Beaufield Mews, one of the oldest stand-alone restaurants in the country, which is now sale agreed, includes garden and restaurant fittings, a selection of good antiques and a huge Graham Knuttel painting.
Commenting on the 1,500 lots, auctioneer Niall Mullen said: “It is an incredible selection and people who have frequented Sam’s bar on Dawson Street will recognise many of the pieces. As the hotel, bar, casino and Beaufield Mews have now closed, everything must be sold.”
